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Old 09-01-2022, 12:44 PM
 
Location: Virginia
491 posts, read 393,701 times
Reputation: 807

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Quote:
Originally Posted by HyndeSyte View Post
Our agent is visiting the Fieldale home tomorrow, to be sure, but I am feeling similarly. The area doesn't feel quite right for our family at least.

We have not specifically targetted Dayton but the Harrisonburg and surrounding area are definitely in our top areas/counties we are interested in. Broadway caught our eye.

Going much further West, any insight/feedback on Mendota, VA?


The countryside around Dayton is gorgeous for sure. I have family in Broadway. Still close to Harrisonburg here but you can definitely get out into the country. Not real familiar with Mendota but I love nearby Abingdon and all of that area is pretty amazing as well. You may want to jump down to the Rural and Small Town Living sub as you might be able to ask specific question regarding the life style you desire.
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Old 09-21-2022, 09:27 AM
 
21 posts, read 34,689 times
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A small update, we are now in contract and expected to close 10/21 on a home in Henry County.

My wife and I are headed back to VA next week to be there for the inspection and see it in-person for the first time.

Fingers-crossed it may finally be happening for us!
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Old 09-21-2022, 11:10 AM
 
1,750 posts, read 2,398,424 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HyndeSyte View Post
A small update, we are now in contract and expected to close 10/21 on a home in Henry County.

My wife and I are headed back to VA next week to be there for the inspection and see it in-person for the first time.

Fingers-crossed it may finally be happening for us!
Congratulations on your (to be) new home and thanks for giving us an update rather than just disappearing into the woodwork as so many new CD posters do. I think your plans for homesteading will go better in Virginia than Texas. Although I am familiar with most Virginia counties, I have never heard of Henry County. When I looked it up, I was surprised by how high the real estate prices are in Martinsville, though they don't seem that high in the rest of the county. I am curious why, unless people are really really into NASCAR.
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Old 10-17-2022, 07:22 AM
 
21 posts, read 34,689 times
Reputation: 49
Back with another update. What a whirlwind end of Sept and start of October. Bad news: the contract on the Henry County home fell through as unpermitted and dangerous electrical work was found. Seller was staunchly opposed to rectifying and prepared to litigate for specific performance so after meeting with an attorney of our own we opted to walk away (not unscathed, lost 70% of EMD and all costs for due diligence/travel).

The thought was to pivot back into the search slowly over winter while we recouped the funds lost in travel/diligence/EMD… until our current landlord advised this weekend that they would be terminating our lease at the end of November. So we are now on a clock to get out of Dallas. The bonus is we were cleared to close already and have funds and whatnot lined up so as long as we can find a place we like, we should be able to pull that off.

Will definitely be landing in VA vs staying here for another lease term in another home. Have not fully settled on moving to rent and buy later, or going forward with a purchase. That said, a purchase still makes the most sense to us (assuming we can now get some seller credits on closing costs, having experienced a ~$6K loss on the Henry County home 2 weeks ago).

Coming out of the weekend we have four homes in four different areas on our shortlist: Floyd, Narrows, Mendota, Dillwyn.

We visited Narrows in April and really liked it, but the weather/elevation is a potential detractor (colder, less wet, cloudier). The homesite has a single-wide in addition to the main dwelling so the short-term rental plan can kick off sooner than all the other homes being considered.

Dillwyn we’ve not been to, but culturally it looks interesting. It’s a bit more East of the Ridge/Valley than we prefer but the homesite has amazing infrastructure in place for what we want to do. Bit of an older home (~1930) so likely more upkeep and only 7ft ceilings upstairs.

Floyd property is in proximity to a lot of the places we loved in NRV (Blacksburg/Elliston/Christiansburg/Floyd). Home is an auction however, built in 1950, so diving into that sight unseen is a bit concerning.

The Mendota property is another old home (~1930) with 7ft ceilings upstairs. The land is expansive and right on the river. Proximity to Abingdon/Bristol is a plus.

Appreciate any feedback on these areas as we are going to move quickly once we decide. Trying to find a place to land and plug into so we do not alienate our growing family is quite tricky, and data (census, climate, culture, crime, etc) only tells part of the story.

Virginia is still calling to us, life just wants to make it more difficult than we had hoped. Staying the course and keeping our chins up
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Old 10-17-2022, 09:58 AM
 
Location: NC
5,451 posts, read 6,033,033 times
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Not that we've ever lived there, but I have always been partial to the Northwest side of interstate 81.
Mendota would be right in my wheelhouse.

At least you have some search areas already in mind.

Who cares about 7 foot ceilings upstairs, you only need 4 feet to lay down in a bed and sleep, and the warm air in the winter is closer to you because it doesn't have as far to rise.! LOL
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Old 10-17-2022, 03:18 PM
 
42 posts, read 64,751 times
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I'm not sure if your realtor gave you this listing. Admittedly I'm not familiar with farmsteading terms, but it might check some of your boxes. It's about 10 miles outside Lexington which gives you some amenities. It indicates fenced pasture, creek, 20 acres of woodland in Forestry Land Management - if possible, may provide some harvesting income? A good looking house under your budget..

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0_M62364-11951
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Old 10-19-2022, 09:48 AM
 
Location: Phoenix Area
110 posts, read 118,488 times
Reputation: 112
I've heard Floyd is a hippie/artist town in the mountains of Virginia. Supposed to be a happening place with some cute/restaurants and shops. Also like you mentioned, it is in closer proximity to some bigger cities in SW Virginia.

If you need to rent something while you look for you perfect homestead, that might be the way to go. This purchase is a lot bigger than buying a condo or signing a lease.
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Old 10-21-2022, 06:55 AM
 
21 posts, read 34,689 times
Reputation: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by getatag View Post
Not that we've ever lived there, but I have always been partial to the Northwest side of interstate 81.
Mendota would be right in my wheelhouse.

At least you have some search areas already in mind.

Who cares about 7 foot ceilings upstairs, you only need 4 feet to lay down in a bed and sleep, and the warm air in the winter is closer to you because it doesn't have as far to rise.! LOL
Good point about the air/heating efficiency. 4-5ft ceilings would be perfect for my wife lol! Being a tall dude, I'm just not keen to get sliced by a ceiling fan. I'd feel like Gandalf in a Hobbit home. 7ft ceilings aren't a deal-breaker in the short-term, it just means we would need to get creative.
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Old 10-21-2022, 06:56 AM
 
21 posts, read 34,689 times
Reputation: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by native_va_gal View Post
I'm not sure if your realtor gave you this listing. Admittedly I'm not familiar with farmsteading terms, but it might check some of your boxes. It's about 10 miles outside Lexington which gives you some amenities. It indicates fenced pasture, creek, 20 acres of woodland in Forestry Land Management - if possible, may provide some harvesting income? A good looking house under your budget..

https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...0_M62364-11951
Our Realtor didn't but you did Did some diligence this week and got a video tour from our agent. Put an offer in yesterday! Fingers crossed! TYVM helpful internet stranger
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Old 10-21-2022, 06:59 AM
 
21 posts, read 34,689 times
Reputation: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by thatdesertdude View Post
I've heard Floyd is a hippie/artist town in the mountains of Virginia. Supposed to be a happening place with some cute/restaurants and shops. Also like you mentioned, it is in closer proximity to some bigger cities in SW Virginia.

If you need to rent something while you look for you perfect homestead, that might be the way to go. This purchase is a lot bigger than buying a condo or signing a lease.
Floyd is lovely. Probably our top county choice in NRV. The home we were looking at went pending before we could get a video tour from our local agent so we had to move on considering the timeframe on our current lease.

I like the advice on renting closer to cities while we look for a perfect homestead. Have been building a backup list of rental options like this in case we get down to the wire and cannot complete a purchase. Not the worst thing to move and be closer so we can react more quickly to listings AND spend a few seasons locally. Fingers-crossed still on finding a purchase option though
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